


Wondrous Creature

by doctorbuffypotterlock79



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Implied Smut, Lesbian AU, Pure Chaos, alternatively titled the monster mash, idiots to lovers, supernatural stuff, ‘And they were roommates’ but make it supernatural
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:55:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26714812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorbuffypotterlock79/pseuds/doctorbuffypotterlock79
Summary: Brooke and Vanessa are roommates crushing on each other, both with no idea that the other likes them back, or that the other isn't human.
Relationships: Brooke Lynn Hytes/Vanessa Vanjie Mateo
Comments: 30
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am officially in the spooky mood and finished this to celebrate it! This is loosely based on the web comic “Fangs” by Sarah C. Andersen. This is pretty weird and chaotic, so apologies in advance. I would love any feedback or comments if you have any, though! Writ is the best beta and brainstorming partner and I love them. Title from Monster by Florence + the Machine.

“Brooke!” Vanessa sighs in relief when her roommate shuffles in, tossing her purse on the kitchen table, shoulders dropping after her overnight shift. 

“What?” Brooke asks around a yawn. 

“Have you seen my black boots?” Vanessa’s been sliding around the apartment in her pizza socks, toothbrush dangling from her mouth, because her boots are _not_ in her closet where she’s fairly sure she left them. But if anyone will know where they are, it’s Brooke. She could find anything from boots to keys like a bloodhound. 

Brooke’s eyebrows wrinkle as she thinks. “Did you check under your bed?”

“Oh!” Toothpaste flies out of her mouth and splats on the floor, and Brooke rolls her eyes fondly before wiping it. 

“You’d lose your head if it wasn’t attached to you,” Brooke mutters. 

“I know!” Vanessa runs to her room and peeks under her bed. There, past Riley’s elephant chew toy and her old knee brace and a bag of chips, are her black boots. 

Vanessa happily puts them on, and Brooke snorts behind her. 

“You could make a game out of finding stuff under your bed,” Brooke teases. “Two points for clothes, three points for food.”

“Five points if the food is still edible.”

“Vanessa, don’t you dare eat those chips--”

Vanessa removes her toothbrush and crunches as loud as she can, making eye contact with Brooke all the while. Even with the lingering minty taste, the chips are still good. But even if they weren’t, she still wouldn’t be harmed, for reasons Brooke doesn’t--and can’t--know.

“Okay, how about you brush your teeth for real, in the bathroom?” Brooke suggests, and Vanessa nods. 

They stand side-by-side in front of the sink, because Brooke brushes her teeth after work every morning for some reason. Vanessa doesn’t mind. It’s nice having the bathroom to herself for most of the morning, not having to fight for shower times or counter space. This little routine is enough, and Vanessa likes the rhythm they sink into, the way Brooke sways along to Vanessa’s Get-Ready Spotify playlist, the way Brooke grins at her in the mirror. Today, the grin is wider than normal, and Vanessa’s grip slips, toothbrush swiping across her cheek and sending Brooke into a fit of laughter. 

They spit in the sink, and Vanessa sees drops of bright red clinging to the porcelain. 

“You’re bleeding,” Vanessa says. 

“I am?” Brooke shrugs. “Must’ve brushed too hard.” She rinses the sink, tells Vanessa to have a good day, and collapses into bed, the frame squeaking under her weight. She’ll get a few hours of sleep, Vanessa knows, before waking up and writing. She does fashion and news pieces for some media site—she told Vanessa it’s like a low-budget Buzzfeed—and her stuff’s pretty good, from what Vanessa’s looked up on nights she was bored, desperate to have more of Brooke through words on her phone screen. Brooke likes her job, even if she has to work overnight grocery store shifts to keep herself afloat. Vanessa thinks of Brooke curled up in bed and wishes she could help her sleep more, get rid of those gray circles constantly under her eyes. 

But Vanessa will be late soon, and she grabs her travel coffee mug and heads to work, thinking too much about Brooke’s smile and the blood in the sink. 

Maybe she isn’t the only one in the apartment with secrets. 

\---

Brooke wakes around 2 with both cats sprawled across her legs. She sits up and pets them absent-mindedly; the cats had to stay in her room because Vanessa is super allergic, “sneezin’ and wheezin’ and itchin’ allergic, Mary,” in her words. It’s easier for everyone to just keep the cats sequestered to Brooke’s room; she gets to cuddle them more, and everyone gets to avoid Vanessa’s sneezes, which are loud enough to send small children running in fright.

She pulls out her laptop and checks her work emails, making notes for her new piece. Nina runs the media site— _West’s Best, home to culture, fashion, humor, and more_ , according to the description Brooke wrote—and Brooke is one of her best writers. But in the name of Brooke’s secret, she lets Vanessa think she’s an underpaid intern, scraping for any piece she can get. She doesn’t like lying, but it’s a necessary evil; under the cover of her “overnight job,” she’s free to spend her nights with her friends, doing things Vanessa can’t ever know. 

The blood this morning was a rare slip-up—a remnant from last night’s drink. Brooke has to be more careful. It’s been six months since Vanessa moved in, and Brooke knows she doesn’t suspect anything about her being a vampire. 

Hiding it isn’t as hard as Brooke thought it would be. The overnight job lie takes care of most of it, and Brooke stores her blood supply at Nina’s, because she doesn’t think she could lie her way out of that if Vanessa found it. She keeps stories about her past generic, mentioning that she used to dance but not that the dancing took place in a speakeasy 100 years ago. Or how she rode horses sometimes as a kid, leaving out that they were an actual mode of transportation. She’s sure Vanessa doesn’t mind the lack of details; her own stories are over the top enough for both of them, making Brooke laugh until her stomach hurts. 

So no, not hard. Just a tiny secret. Though one that’s growing hard to keep, admittedly, because of another secret. 

She has a crush on Vanessa. 

The crush is a recent development, though her friends insist Brooke’s had feelings for longer, brought on by Vanessa asking opinions on outfits and nights yelling at reality shows together and all the times Vanessa lets her towel hang a little too low after a shower. Brooke’s never been around someone so fun and lively, who finds joy in something as simple as fresh laundry, burying her face in warm, lavender-scented clothes. 

But secret number two has to remain secret because of secret number one, obviously, and Brooke just ignores those feelings. Her heart’s been cold a century, after all; it’s not hard to do. 

Her phone buzzes with a text.

_Vanessa: Can we make grilled cheese tonight?_

Two emojis follow it: a loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese. 

_Vanessa: There’s no grilled cheese emoji but you get the idea_

Brooke grins, and she thinks her dead heart skips a beat. 

\---

“This is one of the best grilled cheeses I’ve ever had! You could open a grilled cheese food truck,” Vanessa says around a mouthful of bread.

Brooke shakes her head. “Sometimes I swear you were raised by wolves.” 

Vanessa crosses her arms and pouts indignantly, but there’s a glimmer in her eyes, like a laugh she won’t let escape.

“Just ‘cause you drink tea with your pinky curled—“

“I do not.” 

“Do so.”

Brooke smiles, taking a bite of her own sandwich. Vampires could eat human food, and Brooke likes to. It just doesn’t fill her the way animal blood does. But she’ll make up for it tonight, while Vanessa thinks she’s at work. 

“Oh, that vanity you ordered came today,” Brooke says. 

“Yes!” Vanessa fist-pumps the air. “Wanna help me put it together?”

Brooke thinks of the time she helped Nina put together her bedroom set and wound up with a giant splinter in her thumb, a smashed finger from Nina’s lousy aim with the hammer, and a bag of extra screws that Brooke hopes to this day weren’t important (Nina’s bed hasn’t broken yet, so it’s probably fine). Brooke has no desire for furniture-building again, but for Vanessa and those big brown eyes...

“Sure,” Brooke says. 

Which is how she finds herself nudging aside clothes and magazines on Vanessa’s bedroom floor, Vanessa’s dog licking her leg and 20 pages of instructions fluttering in front of her. 

“Come on, Brooke, what do we do?” Vanessa swings a hammer aimlessly, waiting for something to hit. 

Brooke frowns, trying to make sense of the instructions and all the pieces and nails--could this thing need that many nails?

“Um, I think this big piece goes first...” Brooke grabs a square of wood and passes it to Vanessa. “Then we put on the sides.”

“What about the legs?”

“Shit.” 

After nearly two hours of reading, Googling, YouTube tutorials, swearing, and Vanessa pretending to be Thor with her hammer, the vanity stands strong and sturdy in the corner. 

“We did it!” Vanessa cheers. “Teamwork makes the dream work, baby!”

“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that.”

“Fair.” Vanessa cackles. “You’ll be okay at work, right? I didn’t tire you out too much?”

Brooke swallows hard. Is that gleam in Vanessa’s eyes from concern, or does she know exactly what she’s saying? Does she have the same feelings Brooke does?

“I’ll be fine,” Brooke says. 

She doesn’t see Vanessa for the rest of the night, and slips out when Vanessa is breathing softly in her bed. 

\---

The best part of Brooke’s overnight shifts is that she’s not there to wonder where Vanessa goes at the full moon. 

She, Silky, and A’keria pile in an Uber and go to the edge of the city, then walk to the woods. Vanessa loves the city, loves all the people and shops and places to eat, but there’s something about the woods. Everything is calmer out here, still and silent except for the occasional rustling of leaves or an owl’s hoot. There’s a sort of peace between the trees, freedom to just breathe and think and _be_. 

The silence is a little too eerie tonight, her thoughts too loud. Or maybe it’s just because she can’t stop thinking of Brooke. There’s been nothing unusual about the past few weeks, but something feels different. They made cupcakes last week and spent hours on Saturday sucked into a _90 Day Fiance_ marathon, yelling and roasting the couples. Vanessa found herself enjoying it all more than usual, unable to take her eyes off Brooke. She knows what it means, but that’s not an option. Not with her secret. 

“Vanessa, it’s almost time!” A’keria yells. 

Vanessa snaps up and sees the moon is almost at its highest as it shines through the trees. She pulls off her clothes and sets them in the bag at the base of the largest tree. 

“What's with you?” A’keria asks in concern. 

“Nothing.”

“It’s about Brooke, isn’t it?” Silky guesses, and she and A’keria trade looks. 

“What’s with the looks?” Vanessa demands. 

“It’s nothing,” A’keria says. 

“We think Brooke’s a vampire,” Silky says, dodging the furious arm A’keria swings at her. 

“You think she’s a _vampire_?” Vanessa laughs out loud. She can see where they’re coming from, admittedly. Brooke is tall and pale and quiet, with a dry sense of humor and a wardrobe that’s almost entirely black. She can be broody sometimes, especially when _Jeopardy!_ isn’t going her way. She glides around the apartment so silently Vanessa wants to put a bell around her neck. And there’s a mysterious air around her, maybe from how secretive she is about herself--so much so that Vanessa truly doesn’t know much about her past.

But the idea of Brooke being a vampire is ridiculous. Her Netflix recently watched list is just Jane Austen adaptations and _The Princess Diaries_ , and she keeps the freezer stocked with Ben and Jerry’s and pizza bagels, not bags of suspicious liquid or anything like that. Hell, when Vanessa got a paper cut a few weeks ago, Brooke practically flew out of the room to get her a Band-Aid, eyes _avoiding_ the blood. And she uses a baby voice when she talks to her cats and falls asleep cuddling them, for crying out loud—the woman is hardly a horror movie figure. 

“Look, she’s not a vampire, okay?” Vanessa keeps one eye on the moon as it shifts imperceptibly, her muscles tingling as they prepare for the transformation. “She goes out in the daytime and stuff.”

Silky rolls her eyes. “Vampires can do that! Sun hurts them, but it only kills them after a long time.”

“She’s fine in the sun,” Vanessa insists. “She doesn’t go out in it much because it gives her a headache and her skin’s really sensitive, so it burns easily.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s sunburn.”

“And an overnight job? Could it be any more obvious?”

Vanessa huffs. “Enough, okay! She’s human!”

Silky shakes her head. “You just don’t want to see it because you’re in love with her.” 

“I am not!” Vanessa shouts, but she can’t even kid herself, let alone her friends, who are staring at her pointedly. 

“Got a big old lesbian crush,” A’keria says with a grin. “So big you can’t even see your roommate’s a blood sucker.” 

Vanessa sighs, knowing that vampire or not, her feelings for Brooke are filling the entire forest. “Look, I really like her, and she probably doesn’t feel the same way. It could ruin everything if I tell her. It just… it just can’t happen.” She shakes off how small her voice is getting. 

“I think you should tell her, V,” A’keria says softly. “Vampire stuff aside and everything. How could she not like you back?” 

Vanessa wants to believe it, but she shakes her head. “She’s my friend, and she’s human, and I’m--” The rest of her sentence is cut off by a groan as the pain starts. Vanessa’s gotten used to it now--the way her bones stretch and muscles clench, her whole body on fire--but it doesn’t make the pain any easier. She curls into a ball as her claws emerge, as fur sprouts, until finally a thick brown wolf stands tall beneath the moon. Vanessa nods toward the other two, and they traipse through the forest. 

Vanessa keeps her mind when she transforms; she normally likes the way everything gets sharper, the way she can smell moss and flowers and animals, can see even the tiniest bugs flapping their wings. Tonight, though, she wishes she could turn it off, because all her thoughts of Brooke are heightened too. The sheer beauty of her soft, smooth skin. The way her hair shines like gold in the light and always smells like tea tree oil. Her rare laughs, the way her shoulders shake with the movement and her green eyes sparkle. How much Vanessa wishes she could see Brooke’s pale skin uninterrupted by clothes, melting into Vanessa’s sheets, before falling asleep in Brooke’s arms. 

Vanessa sighs, running through the trees and leaving it all behind. 

She really can’t be in love with her roommate, but it’s too late. 

\---

Brooke is extra careful the next few weeks. She rinses her mouth carefully before entering the door each morning. She eats half the garlic bread Vanessa makes one night. She even goes shopping with Vanessa, rare sunshine beating down on them. The only reason Brooke manages without pain is because of the special sunscreen her witch friend Yvie made, but Vanessa doesn’t need to know that. Brooke just wants to flaunt it, _hey, look how human I am_. Vanessa is blissfully unaware, and that’s what Brooke needs. No threat to her secret, no chance she’ll have to run and leave her friends behind. 

“Brooke, can you help me make posters?” Vanessa gets home one night with her arms full of construction paper and Crayola markers. “They’re for the dog shelter.”

Vanessa volunteers at a dog shelter every Sunday, coming back with fur on her clothes and a bunch of videos of dogs playing fetch and running in circles. She loves going, yapping about all the dogs after, and even though Brooke is more of a cat person, she listens anyway. 

“I’ll help,” Brooke says. It’s only fair after Vanessa made yesterday’s dinner when Brooke was busy with work. 

Markers roll across the table as Vanessa lays her supplies out, and they get to work.

“What’s that, a hippo?” Brooke asks at Vanessa’s drawing.

“It’s _obviously_ a dog, Brooke!”

“A dog with a hippo’s nose.”

Vanessa sticks her tongue out at Brooke and Brooke bursts into laughter. The night continues as they pass markers back and forth and Vanessa pops enough popcorn for a movie theatre, ending when Vanessa begins her nighttime shower and skincare routine, the one that leaves her skin soft and glowing, smelling of citrus and coconut. Brooke’s head is full of those scents when Vanessa calls her from the bathroom. 

“What do you need?” Brooke asks. 

“We’re out of towels.” There’s a smug tone to Vanessa’s voice. “There should be a clean one in the laundry basket, if you wanna bring it to me.” Brooke can practically see Vanessa batting her eyelashes through the door. 

Brooke opens the door a crack, extending the towel. She can’t look at Vanessa, she can’t--

“Thanks, Brooke!” Half of Vanessa’s broadly-grinning face peeks out, running into the soft lines of her collarbone and gentle curve of her shoulder. Brooke’s dead heart almost jolts back to life. She wants to blast the door off its hinges, grab Vanessa, and throw her on the bed--

But the alarm on Brooke’s phone goes off, reminding her to get ready for work.

\---

Brooke slides up to the corner table, her vampire gang awaiting: Nina sipping her drink, Priyanka checking women out, Kameron deep in thought. Red neon signs flicker on the dark walls, glasses of blood and beer sliding across the bar counter. Whoever thought of a vampire bar is a genius, in Brooke’s opinion, and being here with her friends is one of the best parts of her day.

“Sorry I’m late. Got caught talking to Vanessa.”

“How is she?” Kameron asks. 

“Fine! She’s fine.” Brooke laughs nervously, reins her voice in before it rises another octave. No need to share what almost happened. They’ve all heard more than enough about Vanessa-- _Vanessa made cookies, try one; Vanessa scored 42 points when we went bowling; Vanessa made the worst pun ever, you have to hear it_ \--and Brooke knows it’s not helping her in the ‘just a crush’ department.

“You know, Brooke,” Nina says slowly, like she’s been sitting on this a while, “sometimes I think Vanessa isn’t fully ... human.” 

Brooke scoffs. Vanessa, who cries over movies and gives old people her seat on the subway and can’t sleep without fuzzy blankets or a squishy pillow, is one of the most _human_ people Brooke has ever met. Then she looks around the table and sees Kameron and Priyanka matching Nina’s cautious, thoughtful expression. 

“What, you think she’s a witch or something?” Brooke barks out a laugh. “There’s gotta be a cleaning spell she would’ve used in her room by now.”

“Not a witch,” Nina continues, being the spokesperson of the group. “We think she might be a werewolf. Kam saw her in the woods last full moon.” 

“So what?” Brooke asks, playing nonchalant even though it _is_ odd that Vanessa would go in the forest at night. “She can go in the woods, it’s not my business.” 

“I’ve gotten wolf vibes from her before,” Priyanka says. 

Brooke shakes her head fiercely. “She’s human. She just really likes dogs--”

Nina purses her lips. 

“--and her table manners leave something to be desired,” Brooke continues, “but she’s human. Besides, I’d know if she wasn’t.”

Kameron frowns. 

“What?” Brooke demands. 

“You can be kind of oblivious sometimes.” Nina takes over. “I mean, Kameron had a crush on you for months before...” she cuts herself off as Brooke and Kameron look anywhere but at each other, not needing the reminder of their old fling. If vampires could blush, they’d both be flaming. 

“But that’s fine now,” Kameron says quickly. “I have Asia, and you have--”

“--A crush on Vanessa,” Priyanka interrupts. 

Brooke sighs. She knows her face can’t feel hot, but somehow it does anyway. She knows she has a crush; knows she rushes home after nights with her friends just to see Vanessa before she leaves for work, knows she laughs over the stupidest things just because Vanessa does them. But it hurts to hear it out loud when she can’t do much about it. Vampires and humans didn’t mix. If they had any kind of relationship, Brooke wouldn’t be able to hide the secret forever, and Vanessa would probably run when she found out. Who wouldn’t?

But Brooke doesn’t know how much longer she can keep her feelings inside, pretend she feels nothing when Vanessa sings to herself in the shower, or plays with her dog, or tells Brooke to listen to new songs she discovers, both of them huddling around Vanessa’s phone and smiling. 

“I really think you should tell her you like her, Brooke,” Nina says, and Kameron nods. 

Brooke shakes her head. “Nothing can happen.”

Priyanka winks. “I think it can. I see romance in your future.”

“We all know you just pretend to be psychic because you’re in love with Alice from _Twilight_ ,” Brooke mutters, and she lets the erupting laughter distract her from Vanessa.

\---

Silky and A’keria’s paranoia rubs off on Vanessa for a while. She keeps Brooke out in the sun for hours, bumps Brooke in front of mirrors, “accidentally” makes too much garlic bread. She stops just short of running at Brooke with a cross. Brooke’s human, just human, even if Silky and A’keria aren’t convinced.

Vanessa decides to make breakfast to gloss over any odd behavior Brooke might have noticed. Brooke usually eats a protein bar before she goes to bed each morning, and Vanessa wants her to have a real breakfast. 

The idea of telling Brooke her feelings runs through Vanessa’s mind as she flips pancakes. Her being a werewolf is just a small secret, really. A lot easier to hide than her feelings. Lately it’s been all she can do to stop staring at Brooke’s soft skin, to not grab her and finally see how her lips feel. 

Keys jingle in the hall and she knows it’s Brooke and her keys with the cat keychain. It’s just a stupid little detail, but Vanessa’s heart swells with love for Brooke, and it makes her mind up for her. 

Vanessa sets the pancakes and scrambled eggs on the table just as the door creaks open. 

“Vanessa?” Brooke blinks in confusion. “What’s this?”

“I made breakfast.”

“You didn’t have to do all this,” Brooke says, but she’s already drowning her pancakes in syrup.

Vanessa sits across from her. “I wanted to. I wanted to make sure you ate a real breakfast.”

Brooke raises an eyebrow.

“Protein bars aren’t breakfast and you know it!” Vanessa’s yell morphs into a laugh that Brooke matches. 

“Okay, okay.” Brooke grins. “These pancakes are amazing, by the way.”

“I know.” Vanessa laughs.

Brooke sips her coffee, and maybe Vanessa bumps the table, maybe she doesn’t. Maybe Brooke’s sure, steady hands just fumble a bit. Either way, there’s a spot of coffee soaking Brooke’s shirt, and when Brooke grabs a washcloth, Vanessa stands up, legs wobbling. 

“Maybe you should take that off,” Vanessa says, watching Brooke drop the cloth in the sink.

Brooke raises an eyebrow, her eyes gleaming devilishly. “What did you say?”

“I said,” Vanessa breathes, “maybe you should take that off.”

Brooke bites her lip, and Vanessa’s heart speeds up, wondering if she’s made the wrong move. But then Brooke grins. “You first.”

Vanessa’s whole body is on fire as she lifts up her shirt, her face bright red when Brooke’s eyes linger. 

“Bed. Now,” Brooke commands, and Vanessa runs. 

\---

Vanessa doesn’t realize until later. How could she have realized when Brooke’s hands were roaming her body, when her cool lips touched Vanessa’s, when her ears were full of nothing but her own gasps and moans?

No, she doesn’t realize until later, when Brooke is at work and Vanessa’s head is finally clear again, able to think of something besides the blonde hair that Vanessa’s hands tore through and left messy, the soft lips she finally got to kiss, the arm that wrapped around her waist until she fell asleep. 

Through all the gasps and touches and excitement, Vanessa’s heart was a bird in her chest, fluttering frantically in response to each and every touch. But when she thinks about it, there was no pulse thrumming through the still rivers of Brooke’s veins as her wrists brushed Vanessa’s body. When she thinks about it, all she heard from Brooke’s rib cage was silence. 

Brooke has no heartbeat. And they need to talk.

\---

Nina’s mouth hangs open when Brooke walks in the bar that night, no doubt knowing what just happened. “Brooke, you--”

Brooke sits down and rests her head on the sticky bar table. “I had sex with Vanessa,” she groans into the wood, knowing they’ll hear her. 

“I told you bitches!” Priyanka yells. 

“Shut it, Miss Cleo,” Brooke says, raising her head and taking in everyone’s expressions--all of satisfaction and acceptance, not a shocked face in sight. 

“What are you gonna do now?” Kameron asks. “Does she know? Did she notice you don’t have a heartbeat?”

“Hers was going fast enough for us both,” Brooke says. “Besides, she wasn’t close enough to my chest to hear anything… I don’t think so, at least.”

“What are you gonna do?” Nina asks. 

Brooke groans again. “I don’t know. I’m hoping it’ll be a one-time thing and we’ll go back to normal.”

“And if you don’t?”

Brooke sighs. If Vanessa wants a real relationship after this, it wouldn’t be fair to her to do that. Brooke would have to run, and she looks around at her friends and knows she never wants to leave them, just like she never wants to leave Vanessa. She forces those thoughts away. “I don’t know. What am I supposed to do? Get a cake that says ‘Hey, I’m a vampire?’” 

Kameron shrugs. “That’s how I told Asia,” she says, so deadpan Brooke can’t even tell if it’s a lie. 

“You can’t do a cake, you gotta do some classier shit,” Priyanka says. “Cream puffs are classy, right? Do cream puffs.” 

Kameron suggests eclairs, and Priyanka insists that cream puffs are better. Brooke buries her face in her hands. If she wasn’t a vampire, her friends would’ve given her a stress-induced heart attack by now. 

“Okay, cream puffs and eclairs are basically the same thing!” Nina hisses until Priyanka and Kameron quiet down. Nina then turns to Brooke, a hand on her arm. “Look, things are still new, you don’t have to tell her anything yet. Just... do the romantic shit. You’ve been single for decades, just be in love for right now.”

 _Just be in love for right now_. Brooke considers it. She hasn’t had anything remotely like love since her and Kameron had their brief thing in the 90’s, before deciding they were better as friends. Before that, well… Brooke doesn’t think she ever has. There were crushes, sure, like the waitress at that diner who knew Brooke’s coffee order, the grocery store cashier that always flirted with her. But they were human, and Brooke knew nothing could ever happen, that she could never have anything with them. But something about Vanessa, human or not, makes her want to try. 

“You’re right,” Brooke says to Nina. “I think me and Vanessa need to talk.”

\---

The sun is shining when Brooke gets back to the apartment, and Vanessa is standing in the kitchen with her hands on her hips. 

“Everything okay?” Brooke asks. Vanessa obviously has something to say, and Brooke’s stomach lurches with the fear that it’s something bad. What if Vanessa wants to move out after what happened?

“I think I should be asking you that, considering you _have no heartbeat_ ,” Vanessa mutters, clenching her fists. 

Brooke gulps, rubbing through her actions the past week, wondering if she did something to reveal it, because how does Vanessa know? It doesn’t make sense, and she decides to turn the tables. 

“How do _you_ know I have no heartbeat?” Brooke demands. “You would’ve had to be right against my chest to notice, and you weren’t. Unless…” Nina’s theory runs through her mind, and it’s like a fog clears right in front of Brooke. “You’re a werewolf!” Brooke yells, pointing at Vanessa. “That’s why you have advanced hearing. That’s why my cats have to stay in my room!” 

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Vanessa tries, crossing her arms. 

Brooke crosses hers too. “Then I don’t know what you’re talking about either.” 

They’re in a standoff, and Brooke isn’t going to give first. She’ll stay for decades, if she has to. She narrows her eyes at Vanessa, who’s having trouble holding her expression as the seconds tick. 

“Fine!” Vanessa yells. “I’m a wolf.” Her face softens suddenly, and she looks at Brooke with love in her eyes. “But I promise I’ll never hurt you, ever. I keep my mind when I change, and I go far away, just in case. I’d never put you in danger.” 

Brooke’s head spins with it all. So Vanessa really is a werewolf—but from the steps she takes to protect herself and others, she’s clearly as kind and caring as she always has been, helping old ladies cross the street. And what does it matter, really, that Vanessa isn’t fully human, when Brooke isn’t human herself? And if Vanessa isn’t human, Brooke being a vampire won’t matter to her, and Brooke warms at the thought. She moves closer to Vanessa, pulls her into a hug. “I’ll never hurt you either,” she promises. “I only drink animal blood. I just didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to scare you.” 

It seems so stupid now, considering the secret Vanessa’s had this whole time, and Brooke can’t believe she didn’t notice. Maybe she really is as oblivious as Nina said. But maybe, from the love in Vanessa’s eyes, it doesn’t matter. 

“It’s hard to scare a wolf.” 

“I’m stupid, aren’t I?” Brooke sighs. 

Vanessa shakes her head. “I’m just as stupid, don’t worry. Silky and A’keria told me you were a vampire but I didn’t want to see it. All I saw was you, and I knew I couldn’t have you because I’m—“

“A wolf,” Brooke finishes. “I didn’t see it either. I really should’ve, though, considering the mess you make when you eat.” 

“Hey!” 

“And how every dog in a 3-mile radius runs to you.” 

“Says Miss Brooke Lynn ‘I only wear black’ Hytes!” Vanessa yells, and Brooke snorts. 

“I wear gray sometimes!” Brooke protests, and Vanessa rolls her eyes. 

Brooke squeezes her gently, breathing in her apple shampoo, letting it calm her. Vanessa looks up at Brooke and grins hopefully. “So can we do this, then? You and me?” 

_You and me_ , Brooke thinks, slightly daunted by how large those words seem. With Vanessa being a wolf, the risk of a human knowing her secret and being in danger is gone. Werewolves even age abnormally slow, so her and Vanessa will have lots of time together. And they already live together, already cook together every night and share their lives each day. How different can it be to make it a full relationship, let their feelings show instead of dancing around them? 

“We can do this,” Brooke says. 

Vanessa reaches up and kisses her, and Brooke has never felt so human.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brooke and Vanessa enjoy their relationship together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back by (somewhat) popular demand, I added a part two on to this! Thank you to everyone that commented and wanted to read more, because this wouldn't have happened without you. It's pretty short and sweet, but I really hope you enjoy, and I'd appreciate any feedback you have! Thanks Writ for all your support!

“Excuse you, Alex, I _lived_ through World War II, how _dare_ you say my answer’s wrong--”

Vanessa snorts as Brooke continues yelling at _Jeopardy!_ , threatening to go on the show and teach everyone a thing or two. 

Dating a vampire isn’t something she ever thought she’d do, but when it’s Brooke—well, that’s something else entirely. There’s a gentleness in her, in the way she warms her hands before taking Vanessa’s and helps Vanessa at the dog shelter, letting dogs lick her when Vanessa knows she’s more of a cat person. She even braves the daylight sometimes if there’s something Vanessa really wants to do, and Vanessa’s hands roam across Brooke’s smooth skin to get her special sunscreen all over her. 

“Okay, Brooke, we get it,” Vanessa says, laying a hand on Brooke’s thigh. 

Brooke immediately silences herself at the touch, nestling closer to Vanessa. “I’m right, though. These _Jeopardy!_ people are wrong.” Her lips curl into a pout.

“I believe you,” Vanessa says, and she kisses the pout away. 

No, dating a vampire isn’t something she ever thought she’d do. But Brooke tugs her closer and slips her icy hand inside Vanessa’s shirt, and Vanessa knows there’s no one else she’d rather be with. 

\---

“Are you sure about this?” Brooke raises an eyebrow as Vanessa assumes a fighting stance in the doorway. 

“I’m sure. I just wanna say hi to them. My allergies won’t be too bad if I don’t touch ‘em.”

Brooke shrugs, bringing Henry and Apollo over to Vanessa, who sneezes immediately. 

“H-Hi there, little guys,” Vanessa wheezes. “Me and your mama are together now, so I wanted”--another body-shaking sneeze-- “to introduce myself.”

The cats meow in response, and Brooke brings them back in before Vanessa can sneeze again. If this was mild, she doesn’t want to see how bad Vanessa’s allergies can be. She’s always careful to keep the cats in her room and make sure she’s cat hair-free before being around Vanessa. 

“I think they like you,” Brooke says to cheer Vanessa up. She hands her a tissue and doesn’t even flinch when Vanessa blows her nose like a foghorn. “Maybe cats can like dogs after all.”

“I’m a wolf, not a dog!” Vanessa yells, but she starts laughing, and pretty soon Brooke starts too.

\---

“I think you should stay here for the full moon tonight,” Brooke says, glancing out the window at the storm. “It’s really coming down out there.”

“It doesn’t bother me.” Vanessa shrugs. 

“I’d feel better if you were here,” Brooke admits, eyes on the floor because she doesn’t want Vanessa to see the worry shining in them. Almost doesn’t want to admit to herself that she’s this worried about Vanessa, now that she knows the truth about Vanessa and about her feelings toward her. 

Vanessa’s face softens, and she nods. 

Brooke grins. “I’ve always wanted to see a wolf up close.”

Vanessa swats at her. “I ain’t some cute little puppy, Brooke! I’m a wolf. I’m a fearsome beast, okay!”

“Sure you are.”

“I am!”

When the shaggy brown wolf emerges from Vanessa’s room that night, Brooke actually gasps. Any lingering fear she had about a wolf in the house vanish at wolf-Vanessa’s sharp grin, just as big as her human one, at the brown fur that looks as soft as Vanessa’s hair. 

“You’re just a giant puppy!” Brooke yells. 

Brooke swears wolf-Vanessa rolls her eyes before she growls, but the sound turns into a low, rumbling purr as Brooke scratches behind wolf-Vanessa’s ears. The wolf follows her into the living room and they snuggle up on the couch together, the TV playing some Animal Planet show that Vanessa likes in both human and wolf forms. 

Brooke falls asleep with a face full of fur and wakes up with a face full of wavy brown hair. She presses a kiss to Vanessa’s neck and drifts off again. 

\---

It’s nice to have things out in the open, to not have to hide what she does at the full moon, or her feelings for Brooke. 

Sure, it’s gross when Vanessa blindly reaches into the freezer and comes out with a bag of blood instead of the waffles she wanted. Or when they have to spend an hour vacuuming fur off the living room rug after Vanessa stays home for a full moon. But it also means that Vanessa can kiss Brooke whenever she wants, doesn’t have to jump back and worry about Brooke returning her feelings whenever they bump into each other when they cook. 

“Miss Brooke turning you into a domesticated wolf,” Silky says at the salon. “You missed the last full moon with us.”

“Will you quiet down?” Vanessa hisses, even though the salon is empty at the moment. Her, Silky, and A’keria had opened the salon together, combining all their skills on makeup, hair, and nails to help people look and feel their best. Vanessa loves working with her two best friends, and loves helping people treat themselves as well. 

“I wanna meet her,” A’keria says. She cocks her head and puts on a dreamy expression. “The vampire that stole Vanessa’s heart--”

“Even though she doesn’t have her own heart,” Silky says, and the both of them cackle. 

“She has a heart!” Vanessa protests. “It just doesn’t beat. But she don’t need a beating heart to be nice. Or to _love_ me.”

Her friends recoil into twin expressions of disgust, and Vanessa lets out a triumphant laugh. 

“We really do want to meet her, though,” A’keria says. 

Silky nods. “You talk about her so much, we want to see if she lives up to the hype. And make sure she won’t do you wrong.”

Vanessa’s heart warms at their concern, and she reaches out a grabby hand to both of them. 

“Maybe we can do dinner or something,” Vanessa says, wondering how she’ll ask Brooke to invite two werewolves over for dinner. 

—-

“Is that Brooke?” Priyanka calls as Brooke walks over to their usual table in the bar. “I forgot what you look like!”

Brooke rolls her eyes. “It hasn’t been _that_ long.” 

It’s true she missed the last few nights with her friends. Vanessa was exhausted and sore after her transformation, and Brooke was reluctant to leave her side, even if Vanessa insisted that she’s dealt with it for years. Brooke didn’t want her to do it alone when she didn’t have to. She set Vanessa up with her heating pad and tucked her underneath a heap of blankets, made her tea, and watched every rom-com she wanted. Leave it to dating a werewolf to turn her into a mother hen.

“You do seem a little different,” Nina says. “Happier.” 

Brooke smiles, because she really does feel happier than she has in decades. All the tiny lies that her secret caused are gone, and she can go out after Vanessa falls asleep without hiding behind a fake job, without having to leave out so much about herself and what she does. Stories about herself and her life pour out around Vanessa, and Brooke tells stories about Woodstock in exchange for hearing about Vanessa’s first night as a wolf when she was thirteen and got attacked by an owl. Brooke loves getting to be with Vanessa, and it’s nice to know it’s powerful enough to show on her.

"I am happier," Brooke says. "I'm doing the whole 'be in love' thing, like you told me."

Nina smiles, and Brooke thinks her eyes look damp. "I'm happy for you, Brooke."

“Now you know why I was all sunshine and rainbows when I met Asia,” Kameron says. “Welcome to the club, B.” 

“We should meet Vanessa!” Priyanka says suddenly, the thought no doubt spurred by the empty wine glasses in front of her. 

“Yeah, we should,” Nina agreed. “Anyone that’s making you this happy must be quite the person.” 

“She is,” Brooke says softly. Vanessa is more than anything she dreamt of. From when Vanessa answered Brooke’s message about being her roommate, Brooke never thought she’d be with Vanessa, getting to cuddle with her and love her. She never even thought she’d be in love, period. 

Part of her selfishly wants to keep their life and relationship secret, not let her friends meet Vanessa. But she’s known her friends for decades, and after all they’ve been through together, they deserve to meet someone Brooke loves. Maybe they can have dinner soon, though Brooke doesn’t know how she’ll ask Vanessa to invite three vampires over for dinner. 

—-

It turns out the only food vampires and werewolves can agree on is pizza, and Brooke and Vanessa decide that’s their best bet for the party--better than Silky’s suggestion of rare steaks or Nina’s insistence on French delicacies, picked up from her time in Paris right after the first world war. 

Vanessa sets the boxes down with a sigh, turning to Brooke and stopping in her tracks. 

Brooke’s wearing red tonight. The sharp blazer and matching pants are deep and dark against her pale skin, and Vanessa’s mouth falls open. 

“Thought I’d wear a little color tonight,” Brooke explains. “I picked your favorite.”

Vanessa just kisses her, because even Brooke’s _pajamas_ are black, for crying out loud. For her to do this, she must really love Vanessa. 

The doorbell rings with the first of their guests. 

“Let’s do this,” Vanessa says. She remembers how panicked she’d been when she told Brooke that her friends wanted to meet her, only for Brooke to sigh in relief and say that _her_ friends wanted to meet Vanessa too. Still, her stomach twists nervously at the thought of Brooke’s friends meeting her. One vampire is one thing, but a whole room of them judging her? That’s a lot, even though she knows Brooke wouldn’t be friends with anyone bad. 

Vanessa opens the door to see Brooke’s friends, all matching the descriptions Brooke gave her: quiet Kameron with her pretty red curls, Nina as the spokesperson of the group shaking Vanessa’s hand, Priyanka announcing that the apartment smells like dog before saying she’s just kidding. 

They’re barely in the door before Vanessa’s friends arrive, and then everyone stands awkwardly in the kitchen. 

The questions erupt on both sides, back and forth like a tennis match. 

“Does garlic really kill y’all?” Silky asks. 

Nina shakes her head. “What about silver for you?”

“It burns,” A’keria answers. “Only kills us if it’s a bullet to the heart.”

Kameron nods. “Stake in the heart for us.”

“You can only change at the full moon, right?” Priyanka asks. “‘Cause I dated this girl once--”

“For the last time, she wasn’t a real werewolf, she was a furry!” Brooke yells across the kitchen. 

Everyone bursts into laughter and heads into the dining room, chowing down pizza like they’re best friends. 

“Well,” Brooke says to Vanessa as they join the others, “I think that went okay.”

\---

They’re wrapped up in bed together after a successful dinner party, and Brooke breathes in as much of Vanessa as she can. The sweet citrus lotion on her skin and apple shampoo in her hair. The faint scent of hairspray leftover from today that Brooke’s vampire senses can just pick up. The lingering minty taste of toothpaste from their kiss earlier. They had survived dinner, and Brooke had survived the burning stares of two werewolves who’ve known Vanessa for years. Her friends had loved Vanessa too, and Brooke squeezes Vanessa a little tighter. 

Vanessa’s head is on Brooke’s chest, wrapped safe inside Brooke’s arms. It’s easier to do it this way, since Brooke is taller, but Brooke can’t help but wonder if it’s weird for Vanessa to lay on her ice-cold chest and hear nothing beneath her, no signs of life thrumming from Brooke’s rib cage. And she can’t help but wonder what it would be like to lay on Vanessa’s chest, to hear her heartbeat, to feel a pulse again.

“What’s up with you?” Vanessa asks, stroking Brooke’s hair, because she always knows when Brooke is upset or lost in thought, even before they were dating. 

“I just…” Brooke sighs. “Can I listen to your heartbeat?” She buries her face in the pillow, wanting it to swallow her up after such an embarrassing question. 

“Of course,” Vanessa says simply, opening her arms up to Brooke. 

Brooke gently lays her head on Vanessa’s chest, letting the sounds burst below her ears. _Thump thump. Thump thump_. Vanessa’s heart speeds up when Brooke caresses her cheek, and Brooke smiles to herself. Vanessa is real and here and (semi) human, her body filled with sounds of life Brooke hasn’t heard in her own body in nearly a century. Vanessa is here, and Brooke loves her. 

“I love you,” she whispers. It’s the first time she’s said it to Vanessa, and Vanessa’s heart leap in response. 

“I love you too.” The words wash over Brooke, and she thinks her heart beats for that one moment. 

She nestles closer to Vanessa’s body, and they drift off together.


End file.
